3 Simple Ways To Give Caesar Dressing A Spicy Twist

Caesar salad is easily one of the more popular varieties of the dish, mainly because of the rich dressing that the lettuce and croutons are tossed in. Depending on the recipe, Caesar dressing can be oily or creamy, with other ingredients like anchovies, lemon juice, and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese to pull it all together. But for those of us who appreciate varying levels of heat in foods like our salads, there are a handful of household ingredients to give your next Caesar dressing a spicy twist.

There are a few reasons why a spicy Caesar dressing is a worthy upgrade to this well-known dish — that goes beyond satisfying your spice tolerance. The lettuce that's used is usually romaine, which is full of water and can benefit from a spicy flair. Those crunchy croutons, whether homemade or store-bought, will also soak up some of the flavor for spice and crunch in every bite. The upgrade can also be as easy as adding your favorite hot sauce or more complex like throwing in the ingredients with hot peppers in a food processor. You can make it even easier and use a store-bought Caesar dressing with the spicy ingredient. Or, follow our Caesar salad lettuce spears recipe and give the dressing a spicy kick.

As mentioned above, perhaps the easiest way to give either homemade or store-bought Caesar dressing a spicy element is by adding hot sauce. So if you're in a pinch, grab your go-to hot sauce from the kitchen cabinet to upgrade the dressing. Don't have a favorite type? Use our ranking of the best hot sauce brands so the spicy Caesar turns out supreme. Tabasco is a vinegar-forward hot sauce with a mid-range level of heat that won't alter the consistency of the dressing, whereas Valentina might be a little hotter and can thicken up the spread.

To make it happen, start with a dash or two depending on the spice level of the hot sauce — and keep everyone's tolerance in mind. You can always add more to taste before you dress the salad. As a reminder, combine the hot sauce with the dressing before it goes on the salad so it's emulsified. This upgrade works for any recipe of Caesar dressing, but to make it a complete meal with double layers of heat, add hot sauce to your chicken marinade and add the protein on top of the salad.

To step it up further, add spice to the dressing by including chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. In fact, the original Caesar salad differs from most versions today and it has to do with using Worcestershire sauce instead of anchovies. But the salad also originated in Mexico (believe it or not) so it's a no-brainer to use the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a Mexican Caesar salad. You won't need an entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce unless you're preparing for a large dinner party. But for every two cups of dressing, about two chipotle peppers and a tablespoon of the adobo sauce should be just right.

The best way to combine it is to use a food processor or immersion blender to incorporate all of the ingredients together. When it's ready, why not lean into Mexican inspiration? Add fresh cilantro to the dressing for a herby touch. For the salad itself, swap the usual croutons with crushed (or non-crushed) tortilla chips to add crunch. You can even trade the grated Parmesan for Cotija cheese, toss in jalapeños for spice, or add black beans for protein to make the most of the flavor of your chipotle Caesar dressing.

The last way to add spice to your Caesar dressing just happens to be my personal favorite. You know those hot cherry peppers packed in oil that you might use on an Italian hoagie? Well, those cherry peppers might give meat a sweet-heat fix — but they also add flavor and spice to the dressing just like hot sauce or chilis in adobo sauce. The peppers fall somewhere between 2,500 and 5,000 on the Scoville Scale, so expect a moderate heat that's slightly less spicy than jalapeños.

The oil or brine that the peppers are often packed in also provides even more spice and thin out the dressing. I like to start with around a tablespoon of the liquid and a few peppers for every four servings, then add more to taste if needed. Use a food processor or blender if you want to add the peppers, or whisk it by hand if you want to stick with the brine out of the jar. To use more of the ingredients, toss in some of the sliced cherry peppers in the salad along with the croutons and other ingredients.